An effort to teach how to be happy through Upanishads

An effort to teach how to be happy through Upanishads

 

By Raja Thatha

 

The reopening of the school was fast approaching. Rohan has to go back to USA where he studies and Maithree and Goldy have to go to school. So Raja Thatha found that his grand children were all sad. He tried to cheer them up. Maithree then asked, “Thatha, how to be happy and what is happiness?”

 

Thatha decided to explain. “There was a very brilliant boy called Svethakethu in the olden times. His father was a greatly wise saint. One day he asked his father, “What is happiness?”

 

Rohan asked, “Thatha was he also about to go to some other place for study?”

Thatha replied, perhaps. I am not sure about it. Svethakethu’s father told, “The man who is not happy will be lazy and does not work. He would be thinking about what he sees and will not be able to think about anything else.”

 

Maithree and Rohan were not able to understand and told at the same time. “We are not able to understand?”

 

Thatha replied, “If Rohan thinks of his going to a new college  and how he will miss all of us and Maithree, he will not be happy. He should have thought further. He should have thought how he will enjoy his life in the new college , about his friends whom he will  make there and also how he can talk or chat witall of us  all the time.”

 

Both children understood, “That is true Thatha. When we are sad, we do not think of anything else except our sorrow. We never think that beyond this sorrow, there is something else. Thatha, Svethakethu’s father seems to be interesting. Please continue. ”Thatha continued, Then Svethakethu’s father told, “There is a great world beyond this sorrow. It is a never ending. Once you realize it you would never be sad but only happy.”

 

Goldy who did not talk much replied, “The moral of the story is, when you are sad, think of what all happiness you are missing, because you become sad.”